COPS CHARGED
FOUR cops have been arrested and are facing federal charges in connection with the raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor.
Federal prosecutors announced the arrests of ex-cops Joshua Jaynes and Brett Hankison, as well as current police officers Kyle Meany and Kelly Hanna Goodlett, on Thursday.
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Prosecutors said the four Louisville police officers provided false information to obtain the search warrant used in the deadly 2020 raid of Taylor's home.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has also charged Hankison with two counts of deprivation of civil rights for firing 10 shots through a window and glass door along the side of Taylor’s apartment.
Meanwhile, Jaynes, Goodlett and Meany have been charged with conspiracy for violating Taylor's Fourth Amendment rights due to their roles in writing and submitting a false affidavit to secure a search warrant on the residence.
"Breonna Taylor should be alive today," Garland said. "The Justice Department is committed to defending and protecting the civil rights of every person in this country."
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Jaynes, who filed the warrant, was fired back in January 2021 after officials concluded that he had lied in the affidavit.
An FBI ballistics report concluded that Jaynes' colleague, Myles Cosgrove, fired the fatal shot that killed Taylor.
Goodlett, who has been on leave from the force since early 2021, helped fill out the warrant and worked on the same team that led the investigation.
Meany, the sergeant in charge of Goodlett and Jaynes’ team, was responsible for overseeing the investigation, including vetting affidavits and search warrants submitted by his team.
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Hankison was fired from the police force in June 2020 and charged with wanton endangerment that September for wildly and blindly shooting into adjacent apartments during the raid.
However, a jury acquitted him of all charges.
Following the arrests of Meany and Goodlett, LMPD Chief Erika Shields announced she has begun the termination process of both officers.
Steve Romines, one of the attorneys representing Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, released a statement saying they've said from the beginning that LMPD officers "repeatedly violated their own policies and Kenny Walker’s constitutional rights".
"We have said from the beginning that various LMPD officers repeatedly violated their own policies and Kenny Walker’s constitutional rights in the investigation, raid, and subsequent false arrest of Kenny in an attempt to cover up their own wrongdoings in the killing of Breonna Taylor," the statement read.
"It appears a federal grand jury agreed. We will continue to seek justice in the civil courts and call for changes to policies and procedures that protect all our citizens.
"No other person should ever live through what Mr. Walker has lived through. We call on LMPD to complete an internal review of the injustices to Mr. Walker and publication of changes in the way police officers are trained and supervised.”
DEADLY HOME RAID
Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room aide, was shot dead by police at her home in Louisville after cops executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment as she slept with Walker.
The officers have maintained they banged on Taylor’s door, identifying themselves as police for several minutes before using a ram to gain entry.
Police claimed Walker fired once at them, giving them cause to fire back, killing Taylor but not hitting Walker.
However, investigators later determined only one round was fired by Taylor’s boyfriend, who said he thought an intruder was breaking in.
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Body camera footage from inside the apartment shows Taylor's body motionless in the hallway.
It was several minutes before any SWAT officers checked for her pulse after she was shot.
In the footage, officers can be heard asking Taylor, "Ma'am, can you hear us?"
When she did not respond, one officer was instructed to check her pulse before he said, "She's done".
The footage shows the chilling scene with bullet holes and bloodstains on the wall behind Taylor's body.
One officer is heard telling others not to turn their cameras off.
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Taylor was shot six times. Walker was not injured in the raid.
Her death sparked nationwide protests and riots during the summer of 2020.
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